The younger brother of another distinguished artist, John Faed, RSA (1820-1902), Thomas Faed firstly studied with his brother in Edinburgh and later with Thomas Duncan (1807-1845) and Sir William Allan, RA (1782-1850).

He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1851 and this early success encouraged him to come to London, where he settled in the same year. He was a master at capturing the character of the Scottish people, who he continued to paint throughout his career. However, it was early on, in 1855 that he achieved his most remarkable success with a painting entitled “The Motherless Bairn” which became widely known through engravings.

A most prolific painter, he exhibited nearly one hundred paintings at the Royal Academy between 1851 and 1893, being elected RA in 1859 and RA in 1864.

His works can be found in museums in: London, Tate Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum and in art galleries in Aberdeen; Blackburn; Glasgow; Hamburg; Leicester; Liverpool; Melbourne; Montreal; Stamford; Sheffield and Sunderland.